Doug Poole

Poole has had a career in law enforcement for over 32 years. He started his career at the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office in 1984.

Poole has worked in numerous departments including Enforcement, Investigations, Narcotics, and Corrections. Poole also served as Captain over Patrol and Investigations at separate
times during his career.

Throughout his law enforcement career, he has attended many law enforcement related schools and seminars.He is a graduate of the 244th Session FBI National Academy.

School Resource Officer Program

The School Resource Officer Program is a proactive, innovative, problem-solving approach to assist in reducing crime by assigning specially trained certified law enforcement officer to each
junior and high school in the parish. This program began with the assistance of a federal grant that allowed the Sheriff's Office to work with the school system on the implementation. The grant
funding expired in 2005 and in now funded jointly between the school board and the sheriff's office. The program follows a national trend to responding to the increase of violence on school
campus to not only students but to school administration. The goal is to offer a safe environment so students can obtain an education without the fear of violence.

The SRO program is a nationally accepted program involving the placement of a law enforcement officer within the educational environment. The officer's role is more than being a very active high
profile law enforcement officer and includes being a resource for students, parents, teachers, and administration regarding law related issues.

While the primary duty is to reduce crime and violence in the schools, SRO's often find themselves teaching classes, counseling students, and being a mentor to students at school. Besides working
with individual students, SRO's also assist in community policing in the area surrounding the school. Some examples of community policing problem solving involve traffic issues, noise complaints,
drug sales, and safety in nearby parks and business areas.

The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office has twenty-eight school resource officers covering twenty-five schools in the parish. The officers are assigned to a school to be a direct link between
the school and any issue that may need the assistance of law enforcement.

If you have questions about the program or have any issues you wish to address about a specific issue at school, you can e-mail mwalker@cpso.com. Your question will be given to the officer assigned to the school and a response sent to you.

For additional information contact

Lt. Mike Walker

Airport Security

The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office currently provides a secure environment for the Lake Charles Regional Airport around the clock. This division is
staffed by five (5) Louisiana P.O.S.T. certified deputies.

Their responsibilities include but are not limited to providing a security presence at boarding gates as well as exit gates, patrol the airport perimeter and grounds, monitoring the numerous
surveillance cameras throughout the facility, along with responding to any emergency should one arise.

Often, these deputies are the first representative of Calcasieu Parish observed by incoming travelers. Therefore, it is important that they conduct
themselves in a courteous yet professional manner.

Along with the basic training, several of the deputies assigned are also Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) certified, which provides training to deal with parties experiencing mental episodes.

Bailiffs & Courtroom Security

The Civil Division also encompasses Court Security and Bailiffs. There are twenty-four (24) court security deputies and nine (9) bailiffs. The purpose of court security deputies is to maintain
the appropriate levels of security and communication necessary to protect the integrity of court procedures, sustain the rights of individuals before the court, deter those who would take violent
action against the court or participants thereof, and sustain the dignity of the court. They also give direction in the daily operations of court security and provide the necessary response in
the event of an emergency.

The bailiffs attend all sessions of the court and, under the direction of the court, open and close each court session. They maintain order and decorum in the courtroom and perform other duties
as assigned by law or the court. The bailiffs, when requested to do so, also call all witnesses in the building whose testimony is desired by the court or a party to the proceedings.

When entering the courts everyone is required to go through the security screening process. There are no knives, guns, pepper spray, weapons or cell phones allowed in Family or Criminal
Court.